Sidath Wettimuny - Sri Lanka - Batsman

Sidath Wettimuny was the lynchpin of the batting line up when Sri Lanka embarked on their Test journey. He was an opener in the conventional sense. He preferred defense to attack. A grafter, he was always relied upon to give Sri Lanka a solid start. He was the only opener who established his place in the side during his time. He scored a patient 157 against Pakistan in Faisalabad and secured a place in the record books. It was the first century by a Sri Lankan in Test cricket. The solidity he provided was proven once again when he scored 190 against England at Lord's in 1984. It was then the highest score by a Sri Lankan in Tests. It was also, then, the longest innings ever played at Lord's. He faced 636 balls in 471 minutes in that innings. His efforts were recognized immediately and he was named as one of Wisden's five cricketers of the year in 1985.

His style of play did not suit the requirements of the fast paced One day cricket and many a time he was left to take the blame for costing the match by playing too slow. He was soon dropped from the ODI team but never from the Test squad.

Wettimuny was also a player who earned respect from his fellow players. When Pakistan toured Sri Lanka in 1986, the tour was dogged with a lot of controversies related to the alleged favouritism shown by the home umpires. It infuriated the Pakistan captain, Imran Khan, to such an extent that tour was in danger of being called off mid way. The relations between the players on either side had soured too but Sidath Wettimuny managed to walk with his head held high. He decided to walk out even after being adjudged not out as he clearly felt that he edged the ball. This earned him instant respect from the Pakistani side.

Wettimuny went on to become a match referee after retirement. He also became the President of the Sri Lankan Cricketers Association in 2006. He was also a part of Sri Lanka Cricket's interim committee, which was in charge of diffusing the financial crunch after the 2011 WC. Interestingly, his brothers, Sunil and Mithra, also played cricket for Sri Lanka.

By Ganesh Chandrasekaran and Deivarayan Muthu